push-up

American  

[poosh-uhp] / ˈpʊʃˌʌp /

noun

• push-ups
  plural

1. an exercise in which a person, keeping a prone position with the hands palms down under the shoulders, the balls of the feet on the ground, and the back straight, pushes the body up and lets it down by an alternate straightening and bending of the arms.

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adjective

1. (of a brassiere) having padding and usually underwires in the lower part of the cups so as to raise the breasts and make them seem fuller.

2. (of a sleeve) made to be pushed up the arm, away from the wrist or elbow, so as to create a puffed or creased fullness.

push-up British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): press-up. an exercise in which the body is alternately raised from and lowered to the floor by the arms only, the trunk being kept straight with the toes and hands resting on the floor

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• push-ups
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of push-up

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase push up

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Compare meaning

How does push-up compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• press-up vs. push-up

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

push-up push-ups

Hamilton calls it the soleus push-up because it works the soleus muscle, which runs from just beneath the knee to the heel.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

Back then, I was pretty vain, and we would do this push-up routine before I went onstage so I’d look jacked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

Justin Bieber later came and engaged Imperial Courts residents in a push-up contest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

“It’s so modern,” she whispered, her finger carefully operating a push-up mechanism to reveal a dark Bordeaux wax pigment still intact after 153 years.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

“Grandma’ll be up and all over us,” Ernie said, jumping up from push-up position.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

For example, participants could perform push-ups against a wall or countertop rather than on the floor.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

In that smaller study, 24 older adults performed just 30 seconds of push-ups and squats each day.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Bodyweight training, also known as calisthenics, uses your own body weight for exercises such as push-ups, squats and pull-ups to help build strength.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

In addition to the barre work, we did a plank series, light push-ups and arm work, as well as glutes and core work on the mat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

I’d been so into my push-ups and sit-ups and all that I hadn’t even heard her come home.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

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